Alec's Birthday
by Litsztomania
Summary: A collection of happenings over the course of Alec's nineteeth birthday. Presents and cakes, a forgetful family and an awkward encounter with a stripper. And to top it all off, the family's first meal with the illusive Magnus Bane.
1. Jace's Present

_AN: Hamburgers are delicious. Check out my other story, Glower and Sparkle. It's like this, but completely different!_

**Alec's Birthday: Jace's Present**

Alec sat at the kitchen table, eating cereal. Everyone rushed around him, too busy to stop and notice what day it was. Not even Isabelle noticed.

It was his birthday - the day where everyone gave him a present and lots of food and treated him like he was Jace. But with all that had happened in Idris, no one seemed to notice.

Alec, frowning, went back to his room to sulk. On the way he passed the reading room. It had lots of windows and a good view of the skyline. Jace was sitting upside down in one of the chairs. He was reading one of Isabelle's books. Jace's reading phases always indicated a slump in demon activity - it meant he was utterly bored.

"Alec, wait," he said.

Alec did wait, ready for a happy birthday... or a really cool present. Either or. But he mostly wanted the present.

Jace closed the book and held it up. It had a black cover with hands on it. "Do you know what this is?"

Alec knew it wasn't his present. "A teen vampire romance."

Jace nodded, which must have made his head rush because he stopped immediatly. "She has tons of these. Literally, there are like fifty or more. And they all have the same creepy stalker, near porn plot. It's almost voyeuristic, like stepping into the mind of a teen girl in love with a bloodsucker."

Alec shrugged. "And your point?"

"No point. I just hate them. Do you have any good books?"

Jace followed Alec as he stalked away from the room, swaying a bit from the head rush, assuming that Alec meant to give him books. He got into Alec's room before he could slam the door and went over to his bookshelves. With a sigh, Alec lay down on his bed, pouting. A month ago it would have been awkward and dramatic to have Jace in his bedroom with the door shut; now he just wanted his brother to give him a cake and piss off.

"All you have is Steven King," Jace finally said.

Alec put his pillow over his face. "There's A Clockwork Orange behind the DVD's. I had to hide it from - " He didn't finish the sentance. It was too soon to think about having to hide things from Max, especially books. Max might not have minded all of the rape, violence, and drug abuse in A Clockwork Orange, but their parents sure did.

Jace got the point though. They were both silent. "Okay, I'll read that," Jace finally said.

A few moments later, the door opened again, but didn't shut. Before Alec could shout at Jace to get back and close it, something landed on the spread beside him and the door clicked shut.

Alec looked down and saw a long metal chain with a shiny gold oval at the end. Tied onto it with silver ribbon was a card. In Jace's neat script was _Happy Birthday, Alec. Calm yourself. We didn't forget._

He grinned to himself and sat up, looking over the long necklace.

Alec ran his hand over the oval pendant. It was a locket with the flaming L, the symbol of the Lightwood family. It was the same one he had on his ring. The flames flashed in the light like real fire. Beneath the brand was an inscription: _Other things may change us, but we start and end with family. _

He opened the locket then, and his breath caught. It was a photograph taken back when Alec was sixteen, shrunken to fit in the locket. They had left the Institute to Hodge for the weekend. His Dad had gotten a great deal on a huge cottage overlooking the water in the South Hamptons. Their Mom had taken the picture while their Dad got the boat ready. It was their first and last real vacation, and the only time They'd all participated like a normal Mundie family.

The four of them were all in their bathing suits, Alec, Isabelle, Max, and Jace. The sun made them glow, four angels ready to go sailing, free of responsibility. Alec couldn't even see their Marks. Jace had his arm over Isabelle's shoulder and was leaning on her like he was fainting, the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. Isabelle was holding him up and laughing, leaning on to Alec for support. He was laughing, too, skinny and awkward, struggling with the weight of his three siblings. Three, because he was holding Max in his arms like an oversized baby. Max was looking at Jace like he had some sort of syndrome, half of his mouth twisted up into a grin. His glasses made his eyes look so huge that it made Alec laugh.

"Oh, Max," Alec whispered to himself. He shut the locket reluctantly and took a shaky breath.

Alec put the locket on. It rested just over his heart, gleaming gold in the sun coming through his window.

**The End**


	2. Conspiracy

_AN: Hamburgers are delicious. Check out my other story, Glower and Sparkle. It's like this, but completely different!_

**Conspiracy**

Jace stood outside the slumped facade of Taki's, jacket pulled over his neck against the wind, waiting. The last time he checked, Alec was taking his usual birthday nap, curled around the necklace Jace had given him. As far as Alec was concerned, Jace was done with birthday-like things for the day, besides maybe a cake with dinner.

That was stage one of his fourteen stage plan - lull Alec into a false sense of security.

"There you are," someone said behind Jace.

He turned around and saw a large figure drapped in a dark, black silk cloak. "So, are you trying to look like a Dementor, or is it just a side effect of being overdramatic?" Jace asked.

The figure sighed. "The last person who made fun of my fashion choices would warn you to shut up if they still had a mouth."

Jace arched one eyebrow. "What happened to them?"

"I made him into a very nice sofa."

Jace shook his head. "Okay, whatever. We have some last minute things to do."

The hooded figure nodded in agreement. "Yes, we better get this over with. The boy can only nap for so long."

"Oh, you underestimate Alec's ability to sleep."

The figure took something out of his robe and handed it to Jace. It was a wooden case with demonic Marks carved into the lid. "This should do the trick. Just put them around town and they should draw Maryse and Robert out of the house for... oh, lets say four hours."

Jace nodded and put the box into his coat and grinned. "All right, then. And you'll be bringing the... entertainment for poor Alec?"

The figure reached his hand back and pulled the hood off of his face. It shone in the sunlight like it was implanted with millions of tiny diamonds - high quality glitter had that effect. "Oh, you can count on it," Magnus said. "I'll be there at two o'clock sharp."

* * *

_This one doesn't really end closed, but whatever._


End file.
